By Dipo Olowookere
The drive by the Oyo State Government to promote cultural tourism in the state has started yielding positive results, as some Brazilian tourists arrived Oyo State last week on a tour of sites and discussions on the development of a partnership between the Yoruba culture in Bahia, Brazil and Oyo State with a view to evolving a tourism axis in major cities of the Yoruba race.
Receiving the tourists led by Baba L’Orisa, Leopoldino Alves De Campos also known as Baba Ogundare, the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr Toye Arulogun said that it was expedient to promote the potentials in the cultural tourism sector of the state, saying that the Ministry’s recent meetings with the Brazilian Embassies in Abuja and Lagos have started yielding fruits manifesting in the visit of the first set of Brazilians who have come to Oyo state on a cultural tourism mission.
Mr Arulogun said that the state government is committed to the Yoruba cultural exchange with the Brazilians, adding, “We are aware that there is a strong inter-cultural relationship between the Yorubas here and those in Brazil, especially Bahia, where they do things in common with us in the South western part of the country.
“We are ready to help them to trace their cultural origin. This will lead to the official connection between Brazil and Nigeria and promote the two countries’ relationship. Hopefully we would soon have a twin city arrangement and understanding.”
In his response, the leader of the delegation, Leopoldino Alves De Campos said it excites Brazilians to visit Nigeria, especially the South Western part of the country which shares the same cultural values with Brazil, noting that there are several thousands of Yoruba traditional worship centres in the country.
He promised that they are ready to preserve the culture and tradition of the Yoruba heritage, noting that many Brazilians are enthusiastic take a trip down to Nigeria, in order to further rediscover their origin.
Leopoldino Alves De Campos said the team will visit the Oke’badan shrine and Oje market in Ibadan, Egungun initiation centre in Oyo, the Igbo Oranmiyan in Ile-Ife and other tourist attraction centres in the South west region of the country.
It would be recalled that the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr Arulogun paid a working visit to the Brazilian Ambassador and Consular General at different times and the two parties agreed on a bilateral relationship that will further unite Nigeria and Brazil as well as strengthening the ties between the Yoruba culture in Bahia, Brazil and Oyo State.
